Feng Qingsui didn’t have time to take hold of the rope before Daben seized the opportunity, biting it with its two rows of large white teeth and giving a sharp tug, sending the big black dog flying backward.
Then it firmly positioned itself in front of Feng Qingsui, baring its teeth at the big black dog.
Trying to steal its owner? No way!
Feng Qingsui: “…”
The big black dog regained its footing, glaring fiercely at Daben and growling menacingly twice before preparing to pounce.
The servant quickly grabbed the leash, wrapped it around his waist, and lay down, using his weight to hold it back.
“Madam, please go quickly.”
He waved at Feng Qingsui.
“I’ll hold it back.”
The big black dog glared at him angrily.
Just as Feng Qingsui found the situation amusing, she caught sight of Ji Changqing out of the corner of her eye and asked Wuhua, “Did you bring any dried meat?”
Wuhua nodded, retrieving two pieces of dried meat from the carriage.
Feng Qingsui fed one piece to the big black dog, which chewed it up in two bites and then stared longingly at the other piece in her hand.
After giving it the second piece as well, Feng Qingsui clapped her hands and said, “Alright, there’s no more food. No need to cling to me.”
The big black dog whimpered twice in disappointment.
It wasn’t just craving food.
Feng Qingsui knew it had recognized her, but she couldn’t acknowledge it. With a heavy heart, she boarded the donkey cart.
Wuhua promptly retracted the footstool and drove the cart away.
“Goodbye, Madam!”
The two children chased after Feng Qingsui’s cart for a few steps before stopping.
The big black dog also tried to follow but was held back by the servant, who kept a firm grip on the leash.
It turned its head angrily, barking loudly.
The servant hadn’t recognized Feng Qingsui as the little girl the big black dog used to love chasing. Seeing it throw a tantrum, he frowned and said with a troubled expression:
“Mobao, why has this old habit of yours returned? Thankfully, the lady wasn’t frightened by you, or else if she complained to the master, you’d never get to go out for walks again…”
He tugged and pulled, dragging the big black dog toward the mansion across the street.
Ji Changqing left the orphanage supervisor and the others behind, stepping forward to ask, “Are you from the mansion across the street?”
Seeing him dressed in the official robes of a first-rank official, the servant dared not be negligent and replied respectfully, “Yes, Your Excellency.”
“How many years has this dog been kept?”
“Almost ten years.”
“Did the lady from earlier ever visit your mansion?”
The servant quickly shook his head. “No, this is the first time I’ve seen her.”
Ji Changqing asked no further.
On the way back to the government office, he flipped through the Charity Orphanage’s account books, his thoughts drifting unconsciously.
Madam Feng was unusually familiar with the situation at the Charity Orphanage, and the dog from the house across the street seemed to have a connection with her. Her Mandarin was also excellent, unlike someone native to Wucheng.
Could it be… she was originally from the capital, living near this Charity Orphanage, or even—
an orphan once taken in by the Charity Orphanage?
He suddenly looked up and instructed the coachman, “Return to the Charity Orphanage.”
After seeing Ji Changqing off, Supervisor Fang let out a long sigh of relief, boiled a pot of water, and prepared to brew some tea to calm her nerves. But before she could take a sip, Ji Changqing made a sudden return.
“The adoption and fostering ledgers?”
Her face turned even paler than when Ji Changqing had earlier ordered Baifu to retrieve the income and expenditure ledgers from various orphanages.
“Why does Your Excellency suddenly wish to see these?”
Ji Changqing replied indifferently, “That is not for you to question.”
Supervisor Fang’s heart sank, but she tried her best to remain composed. “The records for the newly arrived children haven’t been entered yet. Perhaps we could wait until they’re sorted and deliver them to Your Excellency tomorrow.”
“No need. The existing records will suffice.”
Ji Changqing said calmly.
Supervisor Fang had no choice but to bring out the ledgers.
After confirming that all the adoption records from previous years were present, Ji Changqing returned to the carriage.
He began flipping through the ledgers starting from twenty years ago.
He continued until this year.
Given Feng Qingsui’s age, she could only fall within this timeframe.
However, the name “Feng Qingsui” did not appear in the ledgers.
“She might have changed her name or used a false one,” he pondered.
“But her surname might still remain.”
He went through the records again, this time searching only for children with the surname Feng.
He found… eleven girls of appropriate age with the surname Feng.
He then instructed Shi An, “Go and investigate the current circumstances of these eleven adopted children.”
Shi An accepted the order.
At the same time, Feng Qingsui and Wuhua arrived at Wuliu Lane.
It was a quiet alley, lined with three-courtyard houses on both sides. The doorways were swept clean, adorned with vibrant chrysanthemums of various colors.
When they reached House Ding, she stopped and glanced up at the plaque above the door, which read “Li Residence.”
A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.
The family that adopted Cuique was surnamed Wu, so why was a Li family living here?
Wuhua stepped forward and knocked on the door.
The gate creaked open, revealing an elderly face wrinkled like a chrysanthemum, looking at them with confusion.
Before he could ask, Feng Qingsui said, “Is this the home of Master Wu Yuanqing? We’d like to discuss a silk business deal with him.”
The old gatekeeper pointed upward. “There’s no Master Wu here, only Master Li.”
“Did Master Wu move away?”
“He moved three years ago.”
Feng Qingsui inquired further and learned that three years ago, Wu Yuanqing had taken on a large order but made a mistake, losing everything. He sold his shop and house, and his family moved to the outer city.
The capital had expanded a century ago, with the imperial palace at its center. The area before the expansion was called the inner city, while the newly added area was the outer city.
The nobility and most official institutions were located in the inner city, while the outer city was mostly inhabited by commoners, with a small number of low-ranking officials.
Finding the Wu family in the vast outer city would not be easy.
Fortunately, one of the people they asked still had contact with Wu Yuanqing’s family and knew their new address.
The two went there and found Wu Yuanqing at the entrance of a thatched hut in the eastern outer city.
“What business do you have?” Wu Yuanqing asked weakly, reclining on a worn-out bamboo couch.
He was emaciated, with bones protruding under his skin, showing no trace of his former prosperity as a silk merchant.
His wife was nearby cooking wheat cakes. The firewood was still slightly damp, producing thick smoke that made her eyes water. She scolded her daughter, who was curiously eyeing Feng Qingsui, “Hurry up and bring the fan!”
The little girl was only five or six years old, with two loosely tied buns on her head and a thin, sallow face.
Hearing the scolding, she immediately went inside to fetch the fan.
Feng Qingsui glanced briefly before turning her attention back to Wu Yuanqing. “We’d like to ask you about Cuique.”
Wu Yuanqing was taken aback. “Who is Cuique?”
“The child you adopted. At the Charity Orphanage, she was called Cuique,” Feng Qingsui replied.
Wu Yuanqing’s expression changed slightly.
“Are you from the Charity Orphanage? Didn’t we report it to you nine years ago? She died of illness.”
Feng Qingsui already knew from Wuhua that Cuique had been registered as deceased. The ledger stated that in the third year after her adoption, she contracted chickenpox and did not survive.
But she knew that was not the truth.
She looked past Wu Yuanqing at the pot of wheat cakes and said softly, “I saw her. She’s still alive.”
Wu Yuanqing’s face turned pale.
The woman fanning the fire also changed her expression, gripping the cattail-leaf fan as she gritted her teeth and said, “I knew it! That little beast must still be alive! It’s all her doing!”